Digital Alerting Could Reshape Work Zone Safety

Highway work zones are dangerous. Construction workers are primarily killed by motorist intrusions into highway work zones when drivers are speeding, distracted, under the influence of alcohol or drugs or otherwise impaired. The Laborers’ Health and Safety Fund of North America supports the methods of protecting construction workers through physical barriers such as concrete barriers, truck-mounted attenuators and other mobile barriers that can stop a vehicle from intruding into a work zone, and it is also exploring other methods such as the emerging digital alert technology. When given the right information, onboard navigation systems and cell phones using driving apps like Waze, Google Maps and Apple Maps can deliver advance warning to drivers about what is on the road ahead. Sensors attached to arrow boards or construction equipment or worn by workers can broadcast messages to drivers to stay alert. This new form of technology to protect roadway workers requires innovative solutions – a new territory for most digital alerting technology vendors.